<h2>Name</h2>
<p>
The Surah is so entitled after the word <em>`alaq</em> in the second verse.
</p>
<h2>Period of Revelation</h2>
<p>
This Surah has two parts: the first part consists of vv. 1-5, and the
second of vv. 6-19. About the first part a great majority of the
Islamic scholars are agreed that it forms the very first Revelation to
be sent down to the Holy Prophet (upon whom be Allah's peace and
blessings). In this regard, the <em>Hadith</em> from Hadrat Aishah, which Imam
Ahmad, Bukhari, Muslim, and other traditionists have related with
several chains of authorities, is one of the most authentic <em>Ahadith</em> on
the subject. In it Hadrat Aishah has narrated the full story of the
beginning of revelation as she herself heard it from the Holy
Messenger of Allah. Besides, Ibn Abbas, Abu Musa al-Ashari and a group
of the Companions also are reported to have stated that these were the
very first verses of the Quran to be revealed to the Holy Prophet. The
second part was sent down afterwards when the Holy Prophet (upon whom
be peace) began to perform the prescribed Prayer in the precincts of
the Kabah and Abu Jahl tried to prevent him from this with threats.
</p>
<h2>Beginning of Revelation</h2>
<p>
The traditionists have related on the strength of their respective
authorities the story of the beginning of revelation from Imam Az-
-Zuhri, who had it from Hadrat Urwah bin Zubair, who had it from
Hadrat Aishah, his aunt. She states that revelations to the Holy
Prophet (upon whom be peace) began in the form of true (according to
other traditions, good) visions. Whichever vision he saw it seemed as
though he saw it in broad daylight. Afterwards solitude became dear to
him and he would go to the Cave of Hira to engage in worship there for
several days and nights (Hadrat Aishah has used the word <em>tahannuth</em>,
which Imam Zuhri has explained as <em>ta'abbud</em>: devotional exercises. This
was some kind of worship which he performed, for until then he had not
been taught the method of performing the Prayer by Allah). He would
take provisions with him and stay there for several days, then would
return to Hadrat Khadijah who would again provide for him for a few
more days. One day when he was in the Cave of Hira, Revelation came
down to him unexpectedly and the Angel said, to him: "Read". After
this Hadrat Aishah reports the words of the Holy Prophet himself, to
the effect, "I said: I cannot read! There upon the Angel took me and
pressed me until I could bear it no more. Then he left me and said:
Read. I said: I cannot read! He pressed me a second time until I could
bear it no more. Then he left me and said: Read. I again said: I
cannot read! He pressed me for the third time until I could bear it no
more. Then he left me and said: <em>Iqra bismi Rabbi kal- ladhi khalaqa</em>:
(Read in the name of your Lord Who created) till he reached <em>ma lam ya
lam</em> (what he did not know)."Hadrat Aishah says: "Then the Holy
Messenger (upon whom be peace) returned home to Hadrat Khadijah
trembling with fear, and said to her: `Cover me, cover me', and he was
covered. When terror left him, he said: `O Khadijah, what has happened
to me?' Then he narrated to her whatever had happened, and said: `I
fear for my life'. She said; `No never! Be of good cheer. By God,
never will God debase you: you treat the kindred well, you speak the
truth, (one tradition adds: you restore what is entrusted to you), you
bear the burden of the helpless, you help the poor, you entertain the
guests, and you cooperate in good works.' Then she took him to Waraqah
bin Naufal, who was her cousin. He had become a Christian in pre-
Islamic days, wrote the Gospel in Arabic and Hebrew, and had become
very old and blind. Hadrat Khadijah said: `Brother, listen to the son
of your brother.' Waraqah said to the Holy Prophet: `What have you
seen, nephew?' The Holy Prophet described what he had seen. Waraqah
said; `This is the same Namus (the Angel of Revelation) which Allah
had sent down to Moses. Would that I were a young man during your
Prophethood! Would that I were alive when your tribe would expel you!'
The Holy Prophet said: `Will they expel me?' Waraqah said; `Yes, never
has it so happened that a person brought what you have brought and was
not treated as an enemy. If I live till then I would help you with all
the power at my command.' But not very long after this Waraqah died."
</p>
<p>
This narrative is explicit that even until a moment before the coming
Angel the Holy Messenger of Allah (upon whom be His peace) was without any expectation that he was going to be appointed a Prophet. Nothing to say of any such wish or expectation, he did not even have any idea that he would meet with such an experience. Coming down of the Revelation and appearing of the Angel face to face was an unexpected accident for him the first effect of which on him was precisely the same as could naturally be on a person meeting with such a tremendous experience, in the absence of any preparation. That is why when he proclaimed the message of Islam, the people of Makkah raised all sorts of objections, but no one said that they were already apprehending that he would make a claim, for he had been making preparations since long to become a Prophet.
</p>
<p>
From this narrative another thing which also becomes obvious is how pure was the Holy Prophet's life and how sublime was his character before Prophethood, Hadrat Khadijah was no young lady: she was 55 years old at the time this event took place and had been the Holy Prophet's life companion for 15 years. No weakness of the husband can remain hidden from the wife. She had during this long period of married life found him to be such a generous and noble man that when he told her of his experience in the Cave of Hira', she admitted without the least hesitation that it was indeed Allah's own Angel who had come to him with Revelation. Likewise, Waraqah bin Naufal also was an old inhabitant of Makkah, who had seen the Holy Prophet grow up from childhood. Particularly, for the past 15 years because of the close relationship he was even more intimately aware of his life, his
Affairs and dealings. When he also heard of his experience, she did
not regard it as an evil suggestion, but immediately said that it was
the Namus who had descended on Moses (peace be upon him). This meant
that even according to him the Holy Prophet was such a sublime person
that there was nothing surprising in his being elevated to the office
of Prophethood. 
</p>
<h2>Occasion of Revelation of vv. 6-19</h2>
<p>
This second part of
thee Surah was revealed when the Holy Messenger of Allah began to
perform the Prayer in the Islamic way in the Ka'bahand Abu Jahl
threatened and tried to prevent him from this. It so happened that
after his appointment to Prophethood even before he could start
preaching Islam openly, he began to perform the Prayer in the
precincts of the Ka'bahin the way Allah taught him; and from this the
Quraishfelt for the first time that he had adopted a new religion. The
other people were watching it with curiosity, but Abu Jahl in his
arrogance and pride threatened the Holy Prophet and forbade him to
worship in that way in the Ka'bah. In this connection, quite a number
of the <em>Ahadith</em> have been related from Hadarat Abdullah ibn Abbas and
Hadrat Abu Huraira, which mention the foolish behaviour of Abu Jahl.
</p>
<p>
Hadrat Abu Huraira says that Abu Jahl asked the people of Quraish:
"Does Muhammad (upon whom be Allah's peace and blessings) set his face
on the ground before you?"When they replied in the affirmative, he
said:"By Lat and Uzza, if I ever catch him in that act of worship, I
would set my foot on his neck and rub his face in the dust."Then it so
happened that he saw the Holy Messenger in that posture and came
forward to set his foot on his neck, but suddenly turned back as if in
a fright and being asked what was the matter, he said there was a
ditch of fire and a terrible apparition between himself and Muhammad
(upon whom be Allah's peace and blessings) and some wings. On hearing
this the Holy Prophet remarked:"Had he come near me, the angels would
have smitten and torn him to pieces." (Ahmad, Muslim, Nasai, Ibn Jarir,
Ibn AbI Hatim, Ibn al-Mundhir, lbn Marduyah, Abu Nu'aim Isfahani,
Baihaqi). 
</p>
<p>
According to lbn Abbas, Abu Jahl said:"If I caught Muhammad
(upon whom be Allah's peace and blessings) performing his Prayer by
the Ka'bah, I would trample his neck down." When the Holy Prophet
heard of it, he said: "If he acted so, the angels would seize him
there and then?" (Bukhari, Tirmidhi, Nasai, Ibn Jarir, Abdur Razzaq,
Abd bin Humaid, Ibn al- Mundhir, Ibn Marduyah). 
</p>
<p>
According to another
tradition from Ibn Abbas, the Holy Prophet was performing his Prayer
at the <em>Maqam Ibrahim</em>. Abu Jahl passed that way and said: "O Muhammad,
did I not forbid you this, and then he started to threaten him."In
reply the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) rebuked him severely.
There upon he said:"O Muhammad, on what strength do you rebuke me? By
God, my followers in this valley far exceed yours in number." (Ahmad,
Tirmidhi, Nasai, Ibn Jarir, lbn Abi Shaibah, Ibn al-Mundhir, Tabarani,
Ibn Marduyah). 
</p>
<p>
Because of these very incidents the portion of this
Surah beginning with <em>Kalla inn al-insana la yat gha</em> was sent down.
Naturally the place of this part should be the same as assigned to it
in this Surah of the Quran, for after the coming down of the first
Revelation the Holy Prophet had given expression to Islam first of all
by the act of Prayer, and his conflict with the pagans.
</p>

